Thornton’s production line manager Jodie Adcock has won the inaugural Young Talent of the Year award in the industry’s Oscars – the Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards (FMEAs).
Special Edition: Cutting calories in confectionery
Chocolate makers must completely replace sugar and reduce fat content to a legal minimum to be able to make a ‘light in calories’ claim in the EU, according to Barry Callebaut.
The International Cocoa Organization has quelled media reports of a chocolate crisis in 2020 and says there are sufficient cocoa stocks for the next five years.
Mondelez’s Cadbury Dairy Milk continues to solidify its lead as the UK chocolate market’s bestseller, but sales slide for Mars bar and Snickers following downsizing, according to market analysts IRI.
Lindt & Sprüngli is to construct a manufacturing and warehousing facility in Sydney that will become its Australian headquarters as it reports growth in the market.
Cocoa production in Peru is set to rise 5% in calendar year 2014 and increases in planting will see the country become a key cocoa exporter in the coming years, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Clearfleau has built an on-site industrial anaerobic digestion (AD) plant at Nestlé's Fawdon confectionery factory, near Newcastle in the UK, which makes gums, pastilles and Rolo chocolates.
Presto Products Company says consumers are demanding more from closure features and claims confectionery firms can leverage child resistant resealing technology and zippers giving auditory affirmation that a product is closed.
The European Cocoa Association (ECA) says mandatory origin labeling of cocoa products is pointless and could even lead to a 30% price hike in consumer chocolate prices.
Manufacturers can take control of chocolate flavor development by milling cocoa nibs themselves, but without the extra expense of roasting and winnowing of cocoa, according to equipment supplier Netzsch.
Special Edition: Cost effective confectionery processing
A gap in the market exists for smaller premium confectioners, but they must buy scalable processing equipment that caters to current volumes and not anticipated market demand, says Carle&Montanari-OPM.
Supermarket sales of UK Halloween confectionery in 2014 have taken a big hit as consumers look to popcorn as a trick-or-treat alternative, shop in bargain stores or prefer to spend on dressing up.
Cocoa powder demand for use in compound confectionery coatings is rising rapidly in Asia and Eastern Europe as rising cocoa butter prices up the cost of chocolate manufacturing.
The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies (PMMI) has highlighted strong growth in resealable stand-up pouches in confectionery, but says the rising online environment may change how candy is packaged.
Mondelēz International third-quarter earnings fell 11% compared to last year due to disputes with French retailers over wholesale pricing changes and 'soft' developed market demand.
Yildiz Holding's acquisition of UK United Biscuits makes it the world's third largest biscuit player, but now it will have to work hard to find its 'power brand' answer to Mondelēz's Oreos, according to a Mintel analyst.
Year-on-year Q3 EBITDA profits dipped 9.2% to €5.73m at Spanish cocoa and chocolate and specialist Natra as ongoing cocoa price hikes hit even as quarter revenues rose 5.2% to €89.93m.
Confectionery giants Mondelēz International, Nestlé and Mars must do far more to ensure women are not blocked from day-to-day commercial cocoa operations because of issues like land rights, according to a report commissioned by Oxfam.
Equipment supplier Carle&Montanari-OPM has opened a Latin America office to capitalize on rising demand as Brazilian confectionery move to automated secondary packaging equipment.
Food, beverage and confectionery giant Mondelēz has opened an Asia-Pacific research and development centre that claims to be the biggest of its kind in Australia.
Mondelēz International has officially opened its Asia-Pacific Chocolate and Confectionery Center of Excellence in Australia, creating a base for the largest food R&D team in the country, according to local government.
Seattle-based Theo Chocolate has launched the first functional ingredient from its subsidiary Theo Innovations. Called Violetamine, the product is an extract of cocoa high in polyphenols and theobromine.
The rising tide of food intolerances and allergic reactions bodes well for Pascha Chocolate, a brand that is founded on an allergen-free positioning. But co-founder Courtenay Vuchnich said the real message is purity, with allergen-free coming along for...
Hungary’s confectionery association Hunbisco says that the national tax on sugar puts a financial strain on confectioners to explore sugar alternatives.
Hershey has lowered its full year guidance after a slowdown in Brazil and Mexico and a gross profit margin decline due to higher dairy and cocoa costs.
A Mars-supported study suggests that cocoa flavanols in a functional drink may reverse age-related memory decline, but the same effect may not be true in chocolate.
Chocolate makers should ensure that wholesale price increases do not stunt growth in the emerging markets, says an analyst at Euromonitor International.
Certified cocoa bodies can co-exist with an international standard for sustainable cocoa that will be finalized in 2016, according to delegates at the World Cocoa Foundation’s partnership meeting.
Danish confectioner Toms says its Ekstra chocolate brand that only uses tray fermented cocoa has proved that an initiative to support farmers and improve bean quality can also turn a profit.
A voluntary framework for sustainable cocoa that could help align industry efforts will be introduced by the end of 2016, say those behind the standard.
Chocolate companies and certification organizations can get better productivity gains by improving underperforming cocoa farmers rather than rewarding top producers, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Dairy and bakery businesses are expected to benefit from a change in the EU’s sugar policy, which would considerably boost isoglucose production, according to a leading industry analyst.
Ebola is a huge humanitarian concern for the cocoa and chocolate industry, but contrary to some reports it is not yet having a major business impact for big chocolate players like Mars and Mondelēz.
Flow cytometry – a laser-based cell sensor system – is almost twice as accurate at measuring probiotic levels in chocolate when compared to traditional methods, according to research.
Belgian chocolate maker Godiva has challenged a Swiss pub over its use of a “confusingly similar” image and name to its own, but says other references to the legend of Lady Godiva are safe.
Stevia chocolate is beginning to gain momentum in the US but could take at least a decade to achieve widespread acceptance among mainstream retail, according to stevia chocolate firm Coco Polo
Food industry ‘tinkering’ with sugar content while foods and drinks remain relatively high in sugar may detract from more basic sugar reduction strategies, warns a public health expert.
